Using hyperlinks
One of the most useful features when using Power-Point-to-Flash converters is the hyperlink. Using Insert → Hyperlink in PowerPoint you can link to slides in the presentation as well as existing files or Web pages.
You can link to individual slides or the first, the last, the next or the previous slide. You can place links on both text and graphic elements. Placing links on graphics lets you to set up navigation elements as well as links in the content itself. By adding some nice looking buttons or tabs you can set up some simple navigation buttons as shown in Figure 5. (Note: I some-times use “Crystal Button” —found at www.crystalbutton.com — for this.)
Figure 5 Navigation buttons
The Help, Glossary and Menu buttons have links to specific slides and the other two have “previous” and “next” links. When you create navigation elements like this it is best to place them on the master slides. Many of the PowerPoint-to-Flash products already have some form of navigation — usually a sidebar with links to all the slides — but adding your own buttons can offer a more consistent interface for your e-Learning project. Adding your own navigation can also be used to force the learner to access the content in a specific way — sequentially or in some non-linear fashion.
Some products, such as Breeze and Articulate, offer the option of customizing the built-in navigation elements on the sidebar and lower toolbar. By hiding all the built-in navigation elements and adding your own navigation on the slides themselves you can display your content in a standard e-Learning format; no one would know you were using a Power-Point-to-Flash converter. With a good e-Learning template design the result can look like any other professionally designed Flash e-Learning course — rather than looking like a bunch of PowerPoint slides that have been converted to Flash.
When you add hyperlinks to text in your content, the default link appearance that PowerPoint generates is often very faint and may not match your color scheme. To change the appearance of these links go to Format → Slide Color Scheme and edit it. If you want a hyperlink on some text but you don’t want it to be underlined and look like a textual Web page link then select the text box that contains the text rather than the text itself.
Embedding Flash content
In many cases you’ll probably want to add preexisting Flash content to the PowerPoint-to-Flash e-Learning project you are developing. This could be a simulation or demonstration, a quiz, Flash video, game or whatever. You may even have some pre-existing e-Learning Flash content you want to reuse. PowerPoint has a facility to add a Flash object with Insert → Object but you should avoid this with any of the PowerPoint-to-Flash products. Most of these products will have a menu in Power-Point something like “Insert Flash Movie.” You should always use this in preference to the Power-Point Insert menu because it is optimized for the specific PowerPoint-to-Flash product. All Flash movies are created using a specific number of frames per second (fps). The default value for most Flash content will be 30 fps. If your embedded Flash movies don’t play back smoothly or as they should, check to see that the fps for the imported Flash element is the same as your Power-Point-to-Flash converter — if not, then match them. Many of the Flash-based simulation and demonstration products let you change the fps setting of generated content. Some of the better PowerPoint-to-Flash tools also let you control the imported Flash content with the standard slide navigation buttons — this is a nice feature if you can get it.
Adding narration
Narration can add interest and a personal touch to your e-Learning but don’t let it be a substitute for well-designed e-Learning. Don’t throw a simple presentation on the Web, add narration, and think you have e-Learning. Don’t use narration to provide the majority of the informational content if you have simple bullet points — the narration should support the content, not be the source of it. Narration works best in scenarios such as a means of listening to written text (with the option of muting it), as a description of what’s happening in a demonstration of a product, or as a tightly integrated explanation of what is happening during an animation or complex process.
Using tests and quizzes
You’ll most likely want to add a quiz or test in your e-Learning project. It’s possible to use hyperlinks in PowerPoint to create non-scored, simple quizzes but the best solution is to use the facility (if it exists) in the PowerPoint-to-Flash tool. I have used both Breeze Training and Articulate QuizMaker to create scored quizzes and tests and they work very well. I particularly like the look and feel of the Articulate QuizMaker questions.
If you need to track the quiz or test results in a Learning Management System (LMS) — or indeed the e-Learning itself — then make sure you check out the SCORM and AICC features of the product you are thinking of using. Some products will send only an aggregate or total of the quiz scores to the LMS while others will be able to track individual quiz questions or interactions.
Get creative
You can use PowerPoint-to-Flash products in a variety of creative ways. Don’t be limited by the standard approach to creating content in Power-Point. Brainstorm how you can use hyperlinks, graphics, and animations in new ways to enhance the learner’s experience. How about embedding some Flash video in your project — it’s not difficult. How about adding some interactive games? I have used Captivate to create Jeopardy-style games for reviewing content. (See Figure 6.) It is published in Flash format so you can simply insert it into your PowerPoint e-Learning project.
Figure 6 Jeopardy-type game
A real estate agent got creative and used one of these tools to create an interactive walk-around of a home for clients. See http://www.qarbon.com/presentation-software/viewlet/viewlet_gallery.php and Figure 7.
Figure 7 Real estate sales example
By combining a simulation or demonstration tool such as Captivate or Qarbon Viewlet Builder with a PowerPoint-to-Flash tool you can create some pretty impressive interactive e-Learning content. Captivate, for example, provides an easy way of creating interactive click-boxes, rollovers, buttons and graphics that you can easily insert into your project. By using Articulate along with Captivate I have been able to rapidly create some engaging interactive content that I would previously have needed to create in Flash MX.
In conclusion
A lot of companies think they are producing “rapid e-Learning” solutions with PowerPoint-to-Flash tools. What many of them are producing can more accurately be called “online presentations” — Flash slideware without a presenter. Converting a presentation to Flash and putting it online is not rapid e-Learning — it’s rapid presenting. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can overlook good instructional design with these Power-Point-to-Flash tools. If you do you’ll end up with the rapid development of poor e-Learning.
So if you are thinking of investing in a Power-Point-to-Flash product in order to develop some self-paced e-Learning then avoid using the standard presentation templates and either purchase or develop your own e-Learning templates as I have outlined above. Don’t just quickly tweak existing ILT presentation content and throw it online. Redesign the content from scratch. Storyboard just as you would any other e-Learning content. The text needs to be in full sentences, concise and clear — not bullet points. Don’t reuse diagrams from an ILT presentation unless they are complete and self explanatory; remember — there will be no one around to explain or clarify. Make sure you include some interactivity in the content — don’t have the learners just page through a series of “slides.”
PowerPoint-to-Flash products can be great tools for creating online presentations as well as great tools for developing self-paced e-Learning. In most cases the two are mutually exclusive. Make sure the design and content of your slides reflects the intended purpose. Make sure the form is one with the function. Then you won’t have to worry about anyone coming up to you and saying, “...Well, I want to be honest with you — that e-Learning you created...”
Links to some PowerPoint-to-Flash products:
PointeCast
http://www.pointecast.com/
PresentationPro
PowerConverter
http://www.presentationpro.com
Articulate
http://www.articulate.com
Camtasia Studio
http://www.techsmith.com
Breeze
http://www.macromedia.com
Captivate
http://www.macromedia.com
Viewlet Builder
http://www.qarbon.com
iMediaCONVERT
http://www.imedialearn.com
Authorgen
http://www.authorgen.com
Web Spiders QuickFlash
http://www.Webspiders.com
FlashPoint
http://www.avacast.com
Clearengine
http://www.clearengine.com
SWiSHpresenter
http://www.swishzone.com
Miscellaneous Links
“Developing
Instructionally Sound Content with PowerPoint and Breeze”
http://www.macromedia.com/resources/breeze/training/
PowerPoint e-Learning
templates
http://www.learnhost.com/templates
